American Pie is a 1999 comedy film written by Adam Herz and directed by brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, in their directorial film debut. It is the first film in the American Pie theatrical series. The film was a box-office hit and spawned three direct sequels: American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003), and American Reunion (2012). The film concentrates on five boys (Jim, Kevin, Oz, Finch, and Stifler) who attend East Great Falls High. With the exception of Stifler (who has already lost his virginity), the other four make a pact to lose their virginity before their high school graduation. The title is borrowed from the folk song of the same name and refers to a scene in the film, in which the lead character is caught masturbating with a pie after being told that third base feels like "warm apple pie". It's also been stated by writer Adam Herz that the title also refers to the quest of losing your virginity in high school, which is as "American as apple pie."

The film's theme song is Laid by James, which is also the theme for the entire franchise.

In response to the success of American Reunion, a fifth theatrical film, under the working title "American Pie 5" was announced on August 4, 2012.

Plot

Four good friends from western Michigan, high school seniors, Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas), a confident student with a girlfriend named Vicky (Tara Reid); Chris "Oz" Ostreicher (Chris Klein), a member of the high school lacrosse team; Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs), an awkward and sexually naïve character whose dad (Eugene Levy) attempts to offer sexual advice including purchasing and giving him pornography; and Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), a cappuccino-drinking sophisticate and a nerd, make a pact, at Kevin's initiation, to lose their virginity before their high school graduation after a dorky classmate, Chuck Sherman (Chris Owen), claims to have done so at a party hosted by Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott), an ignorant and obnoxious lacrosse player who happens to be a close friend to the main four boys.

Vicky later accuses Kevin of being with her only for sex, and he must try and repair his relationship with her before the upcoming prom night, when the four plan to lose their virginity. He eventually succeeds. Oz, meanwhile, joins the jazz choir in an effort to lose his reputation as an insensitive jock and finds a girlfriend there. He soon wins the attention of Heather (Mena Suvari), a girl in the choir. However, he runs into problems when Heather comes to learn about Oz's reputation and subsequently breaks up with him, although he later manages to regain some of her trust, and later most of it when he leaves the lacrosse championship to perform a duet with her in a choir competition.

Jim, meanwhile, attempts to pursue Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), an exchange student from Slovakia who asks Jim for help to study for an upcoming English test to get an A. After being told by Oz that third base feels like "warm apple pie", he practices having sex with a pie, only to be caught by his father (who lets him keep it a secret from his mother). Stifler persuades him to set up a webcam in his room so that they can all watch it together. The plan suffers a hiccup, though, when Nadia discovers Jim's pornography collection and sits half-naked on his bed to read and masturbates to it. Jim is persuaded to return to his room, where he joins Nadia, unaware that he accidentally sent the webcam link to everyone on the school list. Nadia's exchange family sees the video and sends her back home, now leaving Jim completely dateless for the upcoming prom, and his likeliness of losing his virginity before high school is over.

In sheer desperation, Jim asks band camp geek Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan) to the senior prom as she is apparently the only girl at his school who did not see what happened. Finch, meanwhile, pays Vicky's friend, Jessica (Natasha Lyonne), $200 to spread rumors around the school of his sexual prowess, hoping that it will increase his chances of success. Unfortunately, he runs into trouble when Stifler, angry that a girl turned him down for the prom because she was waiting for Finch to ask her, puts a laxative into Finch's mochaccino. Finch, being paranoid about the lack of cleanliness in the school restrooms, and unable to go home to use the toilet as he usually does, is tricked by Stifler into using the girls' restroom. Afterward, he emerges before many other fellow students, humiliated and is left dateless.

At the prom, everything seems hopeless for the four boys until Vicky asks the girl that Chuck Sherman claimed to have bedded about her "first time." She proclaims to everyone at the prom that she and Sherman did not have sex at Stifler's party, leaving Sherman embarrassed and making him wet himself. The revelation takes the pressure off of Jim, Kevin, Oz and Finch, and they head to the post-prom party with new hope. At the after-party at Stifler's house, all four boys fulfill their pledge. Kevin and Vicky have sex in an upstairs bedroom. Vicky breaks up with Kevin afterwards on the grounds that they will drift apart when they go to college, with him attending the University of Michigan and her at Cornell University; he tries to persuade her otherwise but quickly realizes that the distance between the two schools will be too much of a burden. Oz confesses the pact to Heather, and renounces it, saying that just by them being together makes him a winner. They reconcile and wind up having sexual intercourse together on the dock. Oz, honoring his newfound sensitivity, never confesses to what they did.

Jim and Michelle have sex after he finds out that she is actually not as naïve as she let on and that she saw the "Nadia Incident" after all. She accepted his offer to be his date because of it, knowing he was a "sure thing," but she makes him wear two condoms to combat his earlier "problem" with Nadia. Jim is surprised to discover that Michelle behaves unexpectedly aggressively in bed. In the morning he wakes up to find her gone and realizes that she had used him for a one-night stand, which Jim thinks is "cool."

Dateless, Finch strays downstairs to the basement recreation room where he meets Stifler's Mom (Jennifer Coolidge). She is aroused by his precociousness, and they have sex on the pool table, and Finch has his revenge on Stifler with his mom. The next morning, while Stifler searches for his mom, he finds her on the pool table with Finch, and is shocked so much that he faints. The morning after the prom Jim, Kevin, Oz, and Finch eat breakfast at their favorite restaurant - with the fitting nostalgic name, "Dog Years" - where they toast to "the next step."

The film ends with Nadia watching Jim stripping on his webcam. His dad walks in but walks out and starts dancing like Jim.